Marine Protector-class patrol boat
The Marine Protector class is a class of coastal patrol boats of the United States Coast Guard. The 87-foot-long vessels are based on the Stan 2600 design by Damen Group, and were built by Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana. Each boat is named after sea creatures which fly or swim.
The class leader USCGC Barracuda underway. Note the boat launching ramp at the stern. The fifty caliber machine guns mount on pintles, port and starboard, just forward of the red stripe. The black smudge in the hull abaft the superstructure is the exhaust of the port engine. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marine Protector class |
| Builders | Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Point class |
| In commission | 1998-present |
| Completed | 73 |
| Cancelled | 0 |
| Active | 67 |
| Retired | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 91 Long tons |
| Length | 87 ft (27 m) |
| Beam | 19 ft 5 in (5.92 m) |
| Draft | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 x MTU diesels |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)+ |
| Range | 900 nmi (1,700 km) |
| Endurance | 3 days |
| Complement | 10 |
| Sensors and processing systems | 1 x AN/SPS-73 surface search radar |
| Armament | 2 × .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns |
| Notes | |
The Coast Guard placed its original order in 1999 for 50 boats, which were delivered by mid-2002. Several additional orders brought the class to a total of 74 ships, with the last, USCGC Sea Fox, being completed in October 2009. Four additional vessels were built for Foreign Military Sales, with two each going to Malta and Yemen.
The Marine Protector class replaced the 82-foot Point class which had smaller accommodations and had to stop to deploy its pursuit inflatable boat via crane. The last Point-class cutter was decommissioned in 2003.
In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security began to decommission the fleet, with 8 Marine Protector cutters replaced by newer Sentinel class cutters.
In May 2021, the United States announced that it would send three ships to the Lebanese Navy
In 2022 three ships, Albacore, Cochito, and Gannet were donated to the Uruguayan Navy under the Excess Defense Articles program. As part of the transfer deal, Uruguay spent $4.99 million to refurbish the ships, on spare parts, and to train their crews. They were renamed Rio Arapey, Rio De La Plata, and Rio Yaguaron.
In 2023 the United States delivered two Marine Protector class ships to the Ghanaian Navy. They were commissioned as GNS Aflao, and GNS Half Assini.
In May 2023, the United States government pledged to provide the Philippines at least two Marine Protector vessels, as well as two Island-class patrol boat and three Lockheed C-130H Hercules during President Bongbong Marcos' visit to Washington D.C. The transferred vessels will be operated by the Philippine Navy.